JUNE
by Rebel8954
Summary: Roman Reigns is happily married to the former Bayley McMahon, youngest child of Vince and Linda. They have two toddler sons, Dean and Seth. Each month is a new adventure. Story #1 in A Year in the Life series. Comments & feedback welcome!


"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up at the airport?" Bayley Reigns asked as she caught the spoon her 4-year old son knocked off the table. "No, Dean, no throwing. Eat your peas."

Four-year old Dean Ambrose Reigns scowled at the small round green vegetables on his plate. His blue eyes flickered towards his younger brother who was contentedly chewing his own peas.

Seth Rollins Reigns stopped chewing and looked at his older brother.

"Too much trouble to pack the boys in the SUV that late at night," Roman Reigns replied. "I'll catch a cab."

"Okay." Bayley smiled. "We miss you. No, Dean, you don't throw your peas at Seth. You eat them."

Roman's laugh rumbled from deep in his chest. "He doesn't like peas. Why make him eat them, baby girl?"

"They're good for him." Bayley took the spoon, put a few peas on it and held it to Dean's mouth. "Just a bite for Mommy?"

Roman could almost see Dean's scrunched up face.

"Thank you! See, peas are good. And don't you dare spit!"

Roman choked back another laugh. His wife certainly knew her children. "Just give him something he actually does like."

"Roman, that boy can't live on popcorn and M&Ms!" Bayley grinned when Dean gave her a pleading look. "I gotta go. Maybe I can get another spoonful of peas into our oldest boy."

"Good luck," Roman replied. "I gotta go, too. We're finally boarding. Love you, baby girl."

"I love you."

Sighing, Roman put his phone in his pocket. Boarding pass in one hand and rolling his suitcase with his other hand, he got in line to board his flight back to Pensacola. A two-hour layover in Denver had resulted in a four-hour delay. Two weeks away from home and he just wanted to sleep in his own bed, with his wife beside him and his children asleep in the room down the hall.

Settling into his seat in first class, he felt his phone vibrate. Taking it out, he saw Bayley had sent him a text and video. Opening it, he read: _**VICTORY! 2 BITES!**_ The video showed Dean's face scrunched in disgust as a spoonful of peas went into his little mouth. Chewing, the toddler vehemently shook his head in protest. Seth could be heard giggling in the background.

The elderly woman sitting in the seat next to him chuckled. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to intrude. I'm just remembering my son at that age. He hated vegetables."

"Dean's not a picky eater but really hates peas." Roman grinned. "My wife keeps trying, though." Roman flipped through the pictures on his phone and found one of the two boys sitting side-by-side on the couch, arms around each other's shoulders.

"Oh, how adorable!"

Roman had to admit it was a great picture. Dean's blue eyes were twinkling and his ginger blonde hair was messily falling in his eyes. Seth's dark brown eyes showed his happiness and his dark hair fell to just below his shoulders…just like his father's. Roman remembered standing behind Bayley making faces to get the boys to laugh as she took a couple of pictures. The other two pictures were blurred as the boys would sit still only for a few moments at a time…especially Dean.

The rest of the flight passed quickly as the elderly woman regaled Roman with stories of when her three sons were little and Roman laughingly told her about his own sons' exploits.

And then he was standing inside his home. Luggage set to one side. Quietly climbing the steps to the second floor. Walking down the hallway to his sons' room where one twin bed stood empty. Roman grinned. Every night, both boys would wind up in one bed no matter that every night each boy was tucked into his own bed. Tonight they were in Seth's bed.

As usual, only the tip of Dean's head could be seen above the sheet. It could be 110 degrees and he would be huddled under something and curled into a ball. He couldn't fall asleep any other way. In contrast, Seth lay sprawled on his back taking up more than his share of the bed space. He slept contentedly allowing his brother to hog the sheet.

Roman gently kissed both boys then walked down the hall to the master bedroom. A light from the bathroom allowed him to easily see his wife lying on her side in the middle of their bed. Smiling, he knelt on the bed and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead.

"Your aim's off. Lower, please."

Roman chuckled and obeyed. "Didn't mean to wake you," he apologized after the kiss.

"I didn't mean to drift off," Bayley half-grinned. Her dark eyes studied her husband's face. "You look exhausted."

"I am," Roman admitted. He stood and began undressing. "Just really glad to be home. I'm not doing anything work related tomorrow or on the weekend. Absolutely nothing."

"There's that cookout at my parents' on Saturday, but I can take the boys so you can get some peace and quiet," Bayley offered.

Roman glanced at his wife whose eyes were fixed on his pillow. Bayley had a big heart and wanted all her family to get along. However, it was plain that Roman wasn't a favorite of his in-laws which didn't bother him in the slightest. What angered him was that Bayley's family played favorites with his boys with Dean being practically ignored at every family get-together in favor of Seth. It had also bothered Bayley enough that they'd skipped the last couple of family get-togethers to make that point. "One last chance, huh?"

Bayley's dark eyes flickered to meet his. "And they know it."

Roman tossed his discarded clothing onto the floor and got into bed. He opened his arms and Bayley scooted into them. She happily sighed as she rested her head on his chest.

"You know I'll go with you guys," Roman murmured, placing a soft kiss on the top of Bayley's head. "I can't wait to hear what Regal's accomplished lately."

Bayley snickered. William Regal was the man her parents had wanted her to marry. In their eyes, a successful attorney with an impeccable social background was a much better catch for their daughter than a security consultant from a middle-class background. "Can you watch the boys tomorrow while I go to the gym and hang out for a while with Sasha?"

"Sure. Piece of cake." Roman's eyes closed then opened when Bayley started to shake. "Bayley, what…" He rolled his eyes, when his wife began to laugh out loud.

"Oh, Roman, I love you." She patted his arm again. "Yeah, a piece of cake."

"Dean. Wake up."

More than half asleep, the four-year old burrowed deeper under the sheet.

"Dean. Wake up!" Seth roughly shook his brother.

"Go 'way."

"No. C'mon!"

Grumbling, Dean unwound the sheet and sat up. "What?" he demanded, staring at his younger brother.

Seth's dark eyes twinkled. "Come watch cartoons."

"You go watch cartoons." Dean flopped back onto the bed and closed his eyes.

"Can't. Need you."

Dean opened his blue eyes. "Why?"

Seth stared down at the bed. "Don't know how…turn TV on," he mumbled.

Dean sighed. He'd learned how to turn on the TV and not the game system by watching his Daddy. Seth hadn't been as observant. "Okay. But then I'm going back to sleep. And we gotta be quiet."

Beaming, Seth nodded. "Not wake Mommy."

Both boys knew that if they woke before their mother came to get them, they were to go straight to her bed and wake her. But Mommy had been very tired yesterday and, well, cartoons waited for no one.

Quietly, the two boys went downstairs to the living room. Dean started towards the entertainment center where the remotes were kept.

"Dean!"

"Shhh! You'll wake Mommy!" Dean turned around, angry with his brother.

But Seth wasn't looking at him. Instead he was pointing at a suitcase sitting just inside the front door.

Dean walked back to his brother, and the two boys started to grin.

Daddy was home.

Not bothering to stay quiet, the two boys ran up the stairs and down the hall. Dean grabbed the doorknob of the door to his parents' bedroom and turned it. Seth shoved the door open, and the two boys raced to the bed where their parents lay peacefully sleeping.

" **DADDY**!"

Both boys jumped onto the bed. Dean barely cleared the mattress but Seth only managed to grab the sheet. "Help!" he sputtered.

Dean spun around and grabbed both his brother's arms and pulled.

Startled from a deep sleep, Roman sat up and stared at his sons. Dislodged from Roman's chest, Bayley pushed herself to a sitting position. Roman quickly moved before both boys were either dragged off the bed by Seth's weight and tumbled to the floor or Seth's arms were pulled out of their sockets.

"I got'cha," Roman assured Seth as he pulled him onto the bed.

Dean dived towards his father and flung his arms around Roman's neck.

Bayley widely smiled as both boys covered Roman's face with kisses.

Daddy was home.

Bayley watched with a grin as Roman set a plate in front of both Dean and Seth that each contained a single large pancake cut into small bites for small boys. Leaning against the door jam, she watched as Dean wheedled more and more maple syrup from his father to completely cover his pancake. _'Piece of cake, my ass.'_

Stepping into the kitchen, she kissed both of her sons on the tops of their heads and then gave her husband a more lingering kiss.

"Daddy…syrup."

"Huh? Oh, sure, Seth. Sorry, my man. Say when." Roman had barely poured a little syrup on top of the pancake when Seth piped, "When!"

"Are you sure? That's not a lot." Roman frowned.

"Uh-huh." Seth nodded. Taking his fork, he stabbed a piece of pancake, barely touched it to the syrup then happily put it into his mouth.

"Well, okay, then." Roman put the container of syrup back on the counter. "No breakfast for you, babe? I'm cooking."

"I'll grab something after the gym with Sasha," Bayley grinned. "Then we're going shopping. Anything we need?"

" **PUPPY**!" Two high pitched voices called out.

"A…what?" Roman glanced towards his sons who were staring at their parents with eager expressions.

"The boys have been asking about getting a puppy," Bayley explained with a wink towards her husband. "Guys, I told you that I'd have to talk with your Daddy about it first."

"We take care of him." Seth placed both hands on his chest and widened his eyes. "We feed him." Dean nodded. "We walk him." Dean nodded. "We clean him." Dean's blue eyes widened for a second, then pointed to his brother. "You do that."

"No, you'll both help do all of it **IF** your Mommy and I decide we'll get a puppy," Roman firmly announced. "We'll talk about it later. So finish your breakfast."

Seth heavily sighed but picked up his fork.

Dean also began eating, but he frowned obviously thinking about what was meant about 'cleaning' a puppy.

Bayley chuckled under her breath and stood on tiptoes to kiss Roman's cheek. "You sure you got this?"

"Piece of cake, baby girl," Roman assured her. He leaned down and whispered, "Maybe I can tire them out so we can have some alone time this afternoon."

Bayley glanced at Dean's syrup covered pancake. "Good luck with that."

"Bye, Mommy!" the boys called out as their mother headed to the garage.

Wryly, Roman admitted that giving Dean that much maple syrup probably wasn't a good idea. Both his sons were constantly active. Although Seth could and did sit quietly at times. Dean, however, was constantly moving some part of his body at all times.

Taking his own plate of eggs, toast, and bacon to the table, he answered his sons' questions about his trip. Yes, Seattle, is on the west coast. That was good of Mommy to show them on the map where Seattle was. Yes, it's a long distance from our house. No, a visit to the Space Needle didn't happen but maybe they'd do it if they ever all got to Seattle. And yes there would be a discussion about a puppy.

"Seth, are you sure you're full?" Roman pointed to Seth's plate. "You still have a lot of pancake left."

"Yeah." Seth nodded.

"Can I have it?" Dean eagerly asked, one hand trying to reach across the table to his brother's plate.

"Sure." Roman reached for the plate and slid the partially eaten pancake onto Dean's plate. "But no more syrup."

Dean nodded and eagerly began eating.

Roman smiled and shook his head. Dean's appetite was voracious, and he normally ate three good meals each day. Seth, however, generally never finished a meal but snacked on healthy choices his mother provided throughout the day. One of Roman's cousins had remarked that Dean was like a car whose driver let the gas gauge get close to empty and then refilled the tank while Seth was like a car whose driver topped off the tank several times each day.

Roman finished his toast and reached for the last piece of bacon. Glancing up, he saw Seth's eyes on the bacon and a little tongue quickly darted in and out of his mouth. Turning his head, he saw Dean also staring at the last piece of bacon.

"Guys, you said you didn't want bacon," Roman pointed out.

Dean's forehead furrowed as he thought. "Changed my mind?" he finally said.

Seth nodded.

Sighing, Roman broke the bacon in half and handed a piece to each of his sons. "You know I love you, right?"

Dean nodded, immediately shoving the piece of bacon in his mouth.

"Love you, Daddy." Seth carefully broke his half in two and flipped one piece towards his brother and put the other in his mouth. He closed his eyes in bliss as he chewed.

Dean quickly grabbed the last piece. "Thank you, Seth."

Roman chuckled and took his plate to the sink. He rinsed the plate and set it on the counter intending to get the rest of the dishes and load them in the dishwasher.

"Here, Daddy."

Hearing his older son's voice, he turned around and saw Dean holding out his plate. His eyes widened in surprise.

"It tipped when I picked it up and syrup's on the table."

Roman's eyes flickered to the table where maple syrup was congealing on its surface. Seth was leaning across the table, fingers outstretched to play in it.

"No, Seth, don't do that," Roman warned as he took Dean's plate. Then he looked down at his older son.

"I tried to scoop it up," Dean admitted.

"And your hair got in the way?" Roman tried not to laugh. Little hands, dripping in maple syrup, had pushed ginger blonde curls off his face. The child's hair was sticking out in all directions, curls stuck together courtesy of maple syrup.

Roman set the plate on the counter thinking maybe it was time for haircuts. He turned around in time to see Dean wiping his sticky fingers onto his shirt. "Okay, little man. You need to get hosed off." He picked up his squirming son and started towards the stairs. "Seth, can you play with your puzzles while I clean your brother?"

"Okay, Daddy." Seth giggled hearing his brother's complaints drift down the stairs. Then he looked at his plate and then towards the dishwasher. He helped Mommy put dishes in and out of the dishwasher. He could help Daddy.

Sliding off his chair, he reached up and got his plate and walked across the kitchen. Setting it on the floor, he reached up and opened the dishwasher door, lowering it so he could put his plate into the rack with other dishes. He looked at the ceiling, hearing the shower start running and then a squeal as his brother was probably held under the spray. At least that's what he thought his Daddy meant by hosing his brother. He didn't think there was a hose in the shower like his Mommy used to water her plants in the backyard.

He saw his brother and Daddy's plates on the counter. Standing on tiptoe, he got his Daddy's plate and put it in the dishwasher. Then he took his brother's plate and did the same…not realizing that maple syrup dripped onto the floor.

Seth turned and tried to open the door next to the dishwasher but it only opened a couple of inches. He tugged again and frowned. Then he remembered his Mommy would put her finger into the crack and make the door open. His little fingers wiggled around in the space for a few minutes, but the door refused to open.

Seth angrily stomped his foot on the floor and pouted. Then he looked at the items in the dishwasher…then back at the door. He reached and got the knife that his daddy had used to cut their pancakes. It wasn't the sharp sharp knife they'd been told never to touch but the other knife.

Tongue sliding out between his lips, Seth wiggled the knife in the small opening trying to reach whatever his Mommy reached to make the door…then suddenly the door opened.

Seth bounced excitedly a couple of times, then saw the small container of things Mommy put into the dishwasher to get the dishes clean. Putting the not-sharp-knife back into the dishwasher, he then took a handful of the small plastic tabs and threw them into the dishwasher. His brother's plate was awfully messy. So he threw in another small handful.

Closing the door, he then reached down and pushed the dishwasher door up until it was closed. Thinking hard, he slowly pushed the lever that his Mommy always did before pressing the button that started the dishwasher. Pushing the button, he happily smiled and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to get a puzzle.

He'd helped his Daddy.

Dressed in his second outfit of the day, Dean ran down the stairs and jumped the last two to land with a thump on the landing. He then ran full-tilt across the living room and threw himself down onto the floor and looked at the puzzle his brother was working on.

Grinning, Roman stood watching them for a moment then walked to the front door and grabbed his suitcase. He could throw a load of laundry into the washer while the boys played. He stopped and turned around with a frown. He quickly walked into the kitchen and saw the dishwasher was on…and sudsy water leaking onto the floor…and had been leaking for a while.

" **SETH ROLLINS**!" Roman yelled as he quickly sloshed through the water and pushed the button for the water to drain from the dishwasher.

At their Daddy's bellow, both boys had looked at each other with startled expressions on their faces. Then Dean's mouth slowly widened into a smirking grin. He pointed a finger at his nervous-looking brother. "Uh-Oh. Two names."

" **SETH!** "

Slowly, Seth got to his feet and walked towards the kitchen.

"Don't come in here!" Roman ordered. When the little boy stopped in the doorway, he glared. "What did you do?"

Curiously, Dean stood next to his brother. His blue eyes widened at the sight of the soapy water spreading across the kitchen floor. "Wow!"

Roman took a deep breath and gentled his voice. "Seth, I asked you a question. What did you do?"

"I always help Mommy put dishes in and out," Seth quietly answered. "I wanted to help 'cause you were hosing Dean." He ignored the glare from his older brother. "I saw how Mommy locks the door and pushes the button."

Roman glanced at the dishwasher and then pointed at the cabinet door he knew was child-proofed. "How did you open that door?"

"I saw Mommy put her finger in when she opened the door and it came open," Seth explained. "But I couldn't get it open so I used the knife.."

" **You touched a knife?!"** Roman yelled. He saw Dean's blue eyes widen in shock.

Seth quickly shook his head. "Not the sharp sharp knife but the not-sharp-knife and I wiggled it and wiggled it and the door opened."

Roman had to admit to himself that on one hand he was proud that his son…his barely **four-year old** son had figured out how to open a childproof door. On the other hand, it was also scary. Especially when he caught the look of admiration now on Dean's face. He slowly walked across the kitchen to where the boys stood. He saw their heads raising higher and higher until the back of their heads touched their shoulders.

Roman was a big man. And there were times when he'd admittedly used his size to his advantage. Growing up in a large family with a ton of rambunctious cousins made that pretty much a survival skill. But he never wanted to use his size against his sons. So he went down on one knee and took a deep breath.

"Okay, first of all, doors are locked for a reason," he explained. "Just because you **can** open a door doesn't mean you **should**. Your Mommy and I have locked some doors because there are things behind them that could hurt you if you don't handle them properly or accidently put them in your mouth. So, you don't open the locked doors. Understand?"

Both small heads nodded.

"Good. Because you know that already," Roman stressed. "You don't open locked doors." He took a deep breath. "Second, Seth, you're not going to be punished because you wanted to help. That's awesome of you, and I'm proud you and your brother help your Mommy. And want to help me. So you didn't do anything wrong there. But…you knew better than to open the locked door so you're going to sit quietly while I clean the kitchen. No puzzles. No books. No cartoons."

Seth hiccupped as he did when he got nervous and started crying.

Roman picked the little boy up and hugged him. "I'm not mad, baby boy. Nobody's mad at you."

"You used two names!" Seth sobbed.

"Okay, you got me. I **was** mad," Roman admitted with a smile. "But I got over it." He gave the boy a kiss on the forehead and set him in a chair at the far end of the kitchen table. "Dean, you go play quietly while I clean this up, okay?"

"Okay." Dean took another look at his brother's tear-stained face then turned away. He was glad he wasn't the one in trouble this time, but he didn't like it when Seth cried. He walked back into the living room and stared down at the half-finished puzzle. He could easily finish it. The barnyard puzzle was missing some pieces of the barn, a rooster, and some pigs. Then he shrugged and pulled another puzzle box from their toy bin. He and Seth could finish the one they started later.

Roman brought the wet-vac in from the garage and set it down. He was aware of Seth's dark eyes watching him as he hooked up the hoses. Stopping for a moment to look at the amount of sudsy water, he realized it was mixed with maple syrup…and decided he really didn't want to know how that happened.

Glancing at his son, he scratched his bearded chin. "So, Seth, how many of the powder tabs did you put in?"

"Handful." Seth held out his right hand.

"Ah."

"But Dean's plate was really messy so I did two hands." Seth held out his left hand.

Roman studied the two small hands for a few seconds then walked over and kissed the palms of both of them. "Lucky they're not as big as mine," he softly said, taking both little hands in one of his. He grinned and winked. When Seth smiled back at him, he picked the boy up and carried him to the living room. "Punishment's over. Go play with your brother."

"I love you, Daddy." Seth hugged him tightly.

Roman knew once again that he was a pushover. He thought about that for a moment, then chuckled. The kitchen floor could wait a few more minutes so he walked into the living room and ignored the mess of puzzle pieces laying between the two boys. Grabbing his suitcase, he decided he could throw a load of laundry into the washing machine before cleaning the kitchen floor.

Twenty minutes later, Roman was finished with the shop vac and halfway through the actual mopping process when his cellphone vibrated. Taking it from his back pocket, he smiled at the message from his wife.

 **BAYLEY 10:42am**

 **WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?**

 **ROMAN 10:43am**

 **BOYS WORKING ON PUZZLES. I'M CLEANING KITCHEN.**

 **BAYLEY 10:44am**

 **WHY ARE YOU CLEANING THE KITCHEN?**

 **ROMAN 10:45am**

 **2 WORDS. MAPLE SYRUP.**

 **BAYLEY 10:48am**

 **GOING TO EAT & SHOP WITH SASHA. OK?**

 **ROMAN 10:49am**

 **SURE. PIECE OF CAKE.**

Bayley dissolved into giggles. Sasha leaned over her should and read the text.

"Cleaning the kitchen? What kind of cake does he think he's serving?" Sasha chuckled.

"I'm not sure," Bayley admitted, tucking her cellphone into her purse. "But I'm pretty sure I'll find out."

Dean had grown tired of working on puzzles and had started just hopping around the living room. Sometimes he just **had** to move. He stood in one place swinging his arms and twisting his upper body to the beat of some music playing in his head. Suddenly he stopped and walked to the hallway. He hesitated then trotted down the hallway.

Seth looked up and quickly followed. "Dean," he hissed. "Daddy said to play quietly."

Dean stopped outside the half-open door to the laundry room. Pushing the door open, he nodded. "There's more water going in," he announced. "That's when Mommy always puts the good smelling stuff in. Daddy prob'ly don't know that."

"We can tell him," Seth offered.

"Nah, we can help Daddy," Dean announced with a firm nod of his head. "Push me up." He raised his arms over his head.

"Uhhh.."

"C'mon, Seth! Push me!" Dean snapped.

Seth came closer and bent over. He wrapped his arms around his brother's legs then straightened up, pushing his brother higher into the air.

Dean's hands gripped the top of the dryer to pull himself upwards. "Seth…" he grunted.

With a grunt of his own, Seth used his shoulder to boost his brother higher. Grimacing as his knees began to buckle, he reached over and pinched his older brother on his butt.

Startled, Dean yelped. But he jumped a little more and was able to throw one leg on top of the dryer and pull himself completely to the top.

Panting, Dean scrambled to his knees and opened the lid of the washer which stood almost touching the dryer. He reached for the shelf above the washer and dryer for the blue bottle with the pink cap. The good smelling stuff Mommy used. Awkwardly handling the heavy bottle, he set it in front of him and began trying to unscrew the cap.

"Dean…" Seth's voice was anxious.

"I…*grunt*…know what…*grunt*…I'm doin'." Suddenly the cap flew off the bottle, narrowly missing Seth who yelped as he ducked.

Startled, Dean overbalanced sending the open bottle sliding across the dryer and headfirst into the open washer…followed by Dean.

Seth watched in horror as his brother half-fell headfirst into the washer. " **DADDY**!" He spun around on his heels and ran down the hallway.

Dean managed to grab onto the washer's agitator with both arms to keep from falling completely into the washer. Slowly, however, he felt his hands slipping and all he could see was the rising water.

" **DADDY**!" he shrieked.

At the first scream, Roman dropped the mop and ran out of the kitchen. He barely missed running over Seth who grabbed his hand. "Daddy! Help Dean!" The small boy tugged on his father's hand and ran towards the laundry room.

Roman nearly had a heart attack when he saw his older son halfway in the washing machine. He quickly wrapped his left arm around Dean's waist and pulled him out of the washer. With his right hand, he slapped the dial on the washer to stop the water.

Dean's chest was heaving as the terrified boy tried to breathe. He clutched his father's tee shirt with both hands. Roman put the boy in his arms and held him close to his chest. " **Dean Ambrose** ," he growled.

Seth put both hands over his face. Two names.

"Dean, you're fine." Roman took a deep breath. He patted his son's heaving back. "C'mon…you can breathe. Calm down. You're okay now." He continued to soothe his son as he walked back towards the living room. "C'mon, Seth."

Seth followed his Daddy to the living room and watched as he sat on the couch holding Dean close to him.

"Shhh…Dean…breathe in and out for Daddy," Roman crooned. He started to worry when Dean began shaking in his arms. Then he heard his son's whisper of "Scared, Daddy" and sighed. "I know, but no need to be scared now. C'mon…relax."

Biting his lower lip, Seth crawled up onto the couch next to his Daddy. He gulped when his father looked at him.

"What happened, Seth?"

"Mommy puts the good smelling stuff in the washer," Seth quietly answered. "Dean just wanted to help you and put it in for you."

"How did Dean get up there?" Roman softly asked.

Seth's dark eyes looked down. "I held him up and then shoved him higher then pinched his butt to get him on the dryer. He heavy."

Roman closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud. Seth had a point. Dean was a solid and compact little boy while Seth was slender and gangly. He reached out with his right arm and pulled Seth against him.

"Dean, sit up and tell me the rest," Roman gently urged.

Slowly, Dean sat up. "I got the bottle and got the cap off."

"It went in the floor, Daddy," Seth helpfully interrupted. "It almost hit me."

Roman nodded but kept his attention onto his older son.

"The bottle slipped and I tried to grab it." The boy's voice was barely above a whisper and he lowered his eyes from Roman's face to his chest. "It fell in the washer and I kinda fell in too."

Roman sighed. "Oh, boys, what am I gonna do with you?" He carefully pulled both close to him in a gentle hug. "Guess I'm just gonna have to keep you forever."

Seth hiccupped then began sniffling. "We're sorry."

"Yeah, I know." Roman tightened his arms around the boys. His wife had to be both an angel and a saint if this was a typical day. "Okay, both of you. Look at me." He gave them time to settle and look at him. "You're both going to sit quietly on the couch and watch cartoons. I'm going to finish mopping the kitchen floor and then see what can be done with the washer. Don't **ever** do anything like that again, okay? You really scared me and you scared yourselves. I think that's enough punishment."

Both boys nodded, more than a little relieved.

Roman kissed both boys on their foreheads and settled them on the couch before putting a DVD of cartoons in the player and turning on the television.

"Be good," he warned them as he walked into the kitchen.

"We will," two small voices answered.

Out of sight and in the kitchen, Roman leaned against the pantry door and quietly laughed. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to get the mental image of Seth goosing his brother up onto the dryer…and wasn't sure if he ever wanted to forget it.

 **ROMAN 11:25am**

 **How do you fix too much fabric softener in the wash?**

 **BAYLEY 11:29am**

 **Rinse cycle. Rewash and rinse. All OK?**

 **ROMAN 11:31am**

 **Sure. Piece of cake**

"Damn, how big a cake is he slicing?" Sasha snickered, reading the text over Bayley's shoulder.

"I don't know, but I don't think I'm going to get a slice." Bayley threw her head back and laughed. "Let's just finish eating and do a little shopping."

"You sure?" Sasha grinned. "You may not have a house standing in a few hours."

After mopping the floors and rewashing the clothes, Roman decided he could take the boys outside while the dryer did its job. He walked into the living room and grinned.

Both boys were obviously bored with the cartoons but had remained on the couch. Dean, however, was sitting astride one of the armrests, rocking back and forth and drumming his little fingers on his knees. Seth was lying with his legs up the back of the couch and his head dangling over the edge. Roman didn't understand how Seth wasn't getting a headache from looking at the TV while upside-down but at least nothing looked broken…or spilled.

"How about we go outside?" Roman spoke up. "You guys can play and I…"

Both boys were a blur in motion as they raced each other towards the sliding glass door in the kitchen that would lead to the backyard.

"Wait for me to open the door!" Roman shouted as he turned the television off. Second later, he unlocked the door; and the boys ran across the deck and jumped into the backyard. Seth headed straight for the swings while Dean looked around. Swings. Slide. Jungle Gym. Sandbox. Batting cage with a t-ball setup. He finally ran towards the slide.

Roman shook his head knowing his older son would be sliding down head-first. It scared Bayley at first but Roman was just waiting for the day his dare-devil son would try it standing up. As he walked towards Bayley's garden, he idly wondered if his wife had ever seen their younger son jump from the swing…just as he now did.

Seth landed on his hands and knees then stood and ran towards the slide to join his brother.

"Yeah, I see trips to the emergency room in the future," Roman muttered to himself. Deciding to water his wife's plants, he uncurled the garden hose that was attached to the back of the house. Glancing again at his active sons and remembering their actions earlier that day, he was again glad he'd decided to have the water faucet mounted higher than his sons could reach. Then again, before this morning, he would never have thought the top of the washing machine would have been within their reach.

As he gently sprayed water onto his wife's plants, he noticed some of the blueberries were ripe for picking. Not wanting to get on his wife's bad side by messing with her plants, he resisted the urge to sneak a few for a snack. He glanced at his watch to see if it was time to fix lunch for the boys and decided they could eat out on the deck. That's when he heard three words that sent ice water shooting through his veins.

"Dean. Watch this."

Roman turned his head to see his younger son jump backwards from the top of the slide. The boy's body flipped into the air and he landed on his butt in the sandbox. Irritated, Seth grabbed two handfuls of sand and threw them.

"Almost did it," Dean encouraged him.

" **SETH ROLLINS**!"

"Oh my God! You have **GOT** to get this one!" Sasha's dark eyes widened in appreciated.

Bayley looked at herself in the mirror. "I don't know…" She shrugged.

"What do you mean, you 'don't know'?" Sasha demanded with a grin. "It's perfect."

"I don't have anything that would go with it," Bayley pointed out.

"We'll find the accessories," Sasha assured her.

"It's awfully expensive," Bayley pointed out.

Sasha put her hands on her hips. "When was the last time you bought anything just for you that wasn't a necessity?"

"Sasha, I've got two kids…boys who go through shirts and shorts and shoes like you wouldn't believe." Bayley shook her head. "Already this summer, I've had to buy Dean three new pairs of sneakers and we won't even talk about how many new pairs of shorts that Seth's needed." She looked again at her reflection in the mirror. "It's too expensive," she repeated. "Roman works long and hard. I don't feel right spending this much."

"Do you like it?"

"Of course, I…"

"Does it look fantastic on you?"

"Yes, but…"

Sasha hugged her friend. "Trust me. By the time I'm done, Roman will take one look at you and money will be the furthest thing from his mind."

Both boys looked at their father with wide eyes. Two names.

Roman took a deep breath, then took the time to turn the water off. Dropping the dripping hose into the grass, he walked towards the sandbox.

"Did you see me, Daddy?" Seth got to his feet.

"Oh, I saw you," Roman nodded. "I almost had a heart attack seeing you."

"What's a…"

"Not now, Dean." Roman dropped to one knee. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Seth nodded. "Doesn't hurt," he added even as he rubbed his butt.

Roman took a deep breath. "Seth, that's awfully dangerous. You could really get hurt if you landed on your head. Bad enough to go to the hospital."

"Wow." Dean studied the slide with narrowed eyes.

Roman pointed a finger at his older son. "Don't even think about it."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not gonna do **that**. I just like jumping off it."

Rubbing his forehead, Roman figured the upcoming visit to the emergency room would probably be for his heart attack rather than an injury to his sons. He was surprised when both boys kissed him on the forehead.

"Mommy says that makes her head always feel better," Dean explained with a wide smile.

"When Mommy rubs her head like that, she says she's getting a headache," Seth added.

Roman smiled. "You know your Mommy's going to be really mad at me if you get hurt, don't you?"

"Why?" Seth frowned.

"Because I'm supposed to make sure you don't do anything that gets you hurt," Roman explained.

"I not hurt, Daddy." Seth spread his arms wide and turned around in a circle. "See?"

"But you **could** be hurt," Roman gently explained. Looked at his boys, he sighed, remembering some of the scrapes he, his brother, and cousins had gotten into when they were kids. "I really owe my mom a big apology."

"What's that?"

"Saying I'm sorry, Dean," Roman explained with a grin.

"Did she call you two names?" Seth asked.

"What did you do?" Dean curiously asked.

"Never mind," Roman chuckled. "Okay, Seth, you're trying to land on your feet and not on your butt, right?"

"Yeah."

He sighed. "Okay, you can practice a little longer but I want you to promise you won't do this unless I'm out here with you. Understand?"

"In case he lands on his head, Daddy?"

"Yeah." Roman wondered how he was going to explain this one.

A few hours later, Bayley slipped out of the house and onto the deck. She smiled, watching her husband positioning Dean at the t-ball stand, helping with the boy's stance. She saw Roman step back and heard him say "Swing!" Tongue between his teeth, Dean swung the bat and knocked the ball into the net.

"Way to go! High five!" Roman grinned and held up his hand.

Dean jumped into the air, smacking his small hand against his father's larger one. Then Dean saw his Mommy standing on the desk, smiling as she watched them.

"Mommy!" Dean threw the bat to the ground, barely missing his Daddy's foot and raced towards the deck.

From the sandbox, Seth looked up in surprise. "Mommy!" He jumped to his feet, sand flying in all directions, and also ran towards the deck.

With a laugh, Bayley sat on the bottom step of the deck and held her arms out wide. "How are my boys?" She wrapped both arms around them as they hugged her. "Did you have a good time with Daddy today?"

She glanced up at Roman with a smile then noticed the nervous look on both boys' faces. And she didn't miss the pleading look on Seth's face as he stared up at his father.

"I think Mommy would love to hear about what's happened today," Roman smiled. He leaned down and kissed Bayley's dark hair.

"Mommy, you smell good," Dean offered.

"Thank you, sweetheart. So what have you boys been up to?"

Roman leaned against the hand railing of the steps, legs crossed at the ankles. Folding his arms across his chest, he smiled at his sons. "Go ahead."

Seth sighed. "Daddy had to use two names."

"Oh, he did?" Bayley grimaced. "Why did Daddy need to do that?"

"Daddy had to hose off Dean after breakfast," Seth explained, ignoring the narrow-eyed look his brother gave him. "So I put dishes in the dishwasher. Like I help you, Mommy."

Bayley glanced up at Roman who shook his head. "He's learned how to lock and unlock the dishwasher."

Bayley's eyebrows rose even as Seth nodded. "And then I put the soap things in the dishwasher."

Concerned, Bayley looked again at her husband.

Roman shrugged. "He's learned how to unlock doors."

"Oh," Bayley softly murmured, remembering Roman's text about cleaning the kitchen. "How much did you put in."

"Handful."

Roman cleared his throat.

"Two handfuls."

Bayley bit her lip to keep from laughing. "I bet I have a very clean kitchen, huh?"

"Yep. Daddy used that thing that sucks water. And mopped." Seth patted his mother's arm. "But I not do that again."

"That would be very good," Bayley seriously nodded. Then she glanced at Dean. "So what have you been up to?"

"Uh…" Dean's blue eyes flickered from point to point, avoiding his mother's face. "Well…Daddy was cleaning Seth's mess…"

"Hey!"

"Shhh…" Bayley patted Seth's back. "Go on, Dean."

"Well…" Dean began shuffling his feet, again not looking at his mother. "Daddy put clothes in the washer but he didn't know about the good smelling stuff. So I got on the dryer and…"

"Wait… **how** did you get up on the dryer?" Bayley interrupted.

Dean half-shrugged.

Roman cleared his throat again.

"I pushed him up," Seth quietly admitted. "And pinched his butt."

Roman looked away, knowing if he locked eyes with his wife, both of them would burst out laughing. But it was nice to know she now had the same mental vision of the event that he did.

"Okay," Bayley finally nodded. "I guess that would help him get up onto the dryer." She looked back at Dean who was kicking the toe of his foot into the dirt. "What happened then?"

Dean shrugged. "I got the bottle but the cap wouldn't come off. So I tried harder and it flew off."

"Mommy, it almost hit me."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Seth." Roman's quiet voice silenced the younger boy. "Go on, Dean."

"Well….the bottle kinda tipped over," Dean recalled. With a sigh, he confessed. "It went into the washer and all the stuff came out." He glanced at his father then added, "And I went in too."

"Into the washer?!" Bayley glared at her husband.

"No, I hung onto that big white thing," Dean explained. "Seth screamed for Daddy and I yelled for Daddy and Daddy came and pulled me out." He took a deep breath. "But the water was coming up, Mommy."

"But everybody's okay, and it's not going to happen again," Roman interjected. "Right, Dean? Seth?"

Seth nodded and Dean shook his head. Both boys mumbled "no".

Bayley's dark eyes studied her husband's face. That explained his text about the fabric softener. She saw Roman mouth the word "later" and relaxed. "It sounds like you guys have had a very busy day." She observed her sons' dirty clothing and smudged faces.

"And we gotta surprise for you, Mommy!" Dean grinned.

"Yeah, you guys give me a couple of minutes with Mommy and then you can show her." Roman stepped around his sons and held out his hand. Bayley took it and he easily pulled her to her feet and into his arms. "Tell me today isn't typical," he begged.

Bayley threw her head back and laughed. Then she slid her arms around Roman's waist and stood on tiptoes to kiss him.

Roman ignored the muttered "kissing…yuck…" from one of his sons. Raising his head, he led Bayley back up the four steps to the deck. He stood facing the yard so Bayley wouldn't see the boys getting ready for their surprise. Toys were flying out of the sandbox to clear a landing spot.

"Okay, first of all, you can't freak out," Roman began.

"Which means there's something I should freak out about," Bayley interjected.

"Second, they've worked really really hard on this," Roman continued with a smirk. "Third, they've been doing this for some time but just hadn't been caught."

"Oh, God…" Bayley muttered, resting her forehead on Roman's chest.

"Fourth, they haven't gotten hurt but I completely understand that they **could** get hurt."

"I don't want to hear any more," Bayley softly whimpered.

"Fifth, we probably have something more to talk about tonight than the puppy issue." Roman chuckled. "And last, but not least…" He tipped Bayley's head up so he could see her face. "…you are one amazing astonishing woman. And our sons haven't had a nap today so maybe they'll go to sleep early tonight?"

"One can hope," Bayley snickered.

"Daddy!? Now?!"

"Don't freak out," Roman whispered, then raised his voice. "Okay, Dean first." He turned Bayley around so they could both see the back yard. Roman kept Bayley in his arms, making sure her arms were kept to her side.

Bayley watched as Dean scampered up the steps of the slide. At the top, he squirmed around until he was facing away from the slide and towards the sandbox.

"He's not going down backward headfirst, is he?" Bayley whispered, looking over her shoulder at his husband.

"Don't give him any ideas," Roman murmured with a grin. He watched as Dean slowly got to his feet. "Don't freak out. This is important to them."

"Oh my God," Bayley muttered under her breath. She choked back a squeal when Dean took a deep breath and jumped towards the sandbox. He landed on his hands and knees, tucked his chin to his chest, and performed a wobbly forward roll coming to a halt flat on his back.

Bayley told herself to breathe even as Roman clapped his hands. "That's it, Dean! Good job!" He nudged his wife.

"Wow, Dean!" Bayley forced a smile.

Dean got to his feet, shaking sand from the back of his head. Running out of the sandbox, he nodded towards his younger brother who ran towards the slide.

"He's not going to do that, too, is he?" Bayley quietly demanded. She glared over her shoulder. "Roman?!" she hissed.

"No, Seth has something else in mind," Roman wryly admitted. "Dean's not our only daredevil son."

Silently, Bayley watched as Seth nimbly climbed the steps of the slide. At the top, he stood, then glanced over his shoulder at the sandbox.

"Don't freak out." Bayley shivered at the words Roman whispered in her ear.

Seth glanced down at his brother. Dean grinned and nodded in silent encouragement. The younger boy seemed to shrug then turned his head to stare down at the slide. He bit his lower lip then took a deep breath.

Bayley watched in horror as her baby boy leaped upwards and backwards. His tiny body flipped in the air and he landed in the sandbox…on his feet. He stumbled back a few steps but remained standing.

Dean's mouth dropped open for a few seconds, then he ran and grabbed his brother in a big hug. "You did it!" he yelled. "Daddy! Seth did it! Mommy, did you see?"

Seth joyously laughed as his brother swung him around.

"Oh dear God. Oh dear God." Bayley muttered.

"Breathe," Roman whispered in her year as he hugged her. "Way to go, Seth! Awesome!"

"Mommy! Mommy! Did you see me?" Seth came running up the deck steps.

"Yes, I did, sweetheart." Bayley sat…well, collapsed…onto one of the deck chairs and held out her arms.

Seth ran into his mother's embrace closely followed by his older brother.

"Daddy said he almost had a heart attack when he saw Seth do that," Dean babbled. "Did you almost have a heart attack, Mommy? What's a heart attack?"

"Oh dear God," Bayley muttered.

Hours later, fed and bathed, both boys were asleep in their beds although neither parent held out any hope they wouldn't be asleep in the same bed before morning.

Bayley closed the door to their bedroom, then grinned as Roman simply flopped backwards onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Seriously, I don't know how you do it." He turned to look at his grinning wife. "You never did answer me if this was a typical day with them."

"Every day is a new adventure," Bayley snickered as she curled up next to him on the bed.

"Jesus God," Roman muttered. "They each damn near scared me to death today." He glared down at his wife who had started to laugh. "What?"

"Just thinking about Seth goosing Dean to get him onto the top of the dryer," she finally gasped out.

Roman chuckled. "One spot of hilarity in this day," he admitted. "Maybe we should enroll them in a gymnastics class or something."

Bayley lay quietly, thinking about it. "No, I don't think so."

Roman frowned as he rolled to his right and propped himself up on his elbow. "Why not?"

"I remember gymnastics class," Bayley grinned. "You stand in line just to get your turn to do one thing. Repeat. And repeat. Do you honestly think they've got the patience for that?"

"No," Roman admitted with grimace. "No, I don't."

Bayley sat up. "Sasha's used to date Sami Zayn and they parted on good terms. He's coaching a peewee soccer team. We might be able to get them added to that."

Roman absently ran his hand back and forth across Bayley's thigh. Sami Zayn was an athletic coach a local private school primarily coaching the school's soccer team. Then he grinned and onto his back, pulling his wife's small body on top of his. "Like I said, you are one amazing and astonishing woman," he whispered.

Bayley chuckled as she lowered her mouth to his. "Yes. Yes I am," she murmured.

Roman kept telling himself this was all for his wife. He loved her. She did so much for him and their family. It was just a few hours of time. It made her happy.

He mentally repeated that mantra throughout the cookout at his in-laws' house. He had an honest relationship with them. They despised him. He despised them. But he loved his wife, and she had always been the peacemaker. However, everyone knew that this was the last chance Bayley was giving her birth family so everyone was on their best behavior.

For Roman, a cookout meant something on the grill. Hot dogs, burgers, fish, chicken, vegetables…not sitting under an umbrellaed table suffering through a meal of cucumber soup and shrimp. While he liked shrimp, he would have appreciated more than five pieces on a plate surrounded by garnish. Keeping one ear on the conversation just in case someone brought him into it, he considered the people at the table.

His mother-in-law, Linda, sat to his left. On a one-on-one basis, he could get along with her. She was a mother and genuinely felt concern that her younger daughter had married far beneath her in both status and money. However, when with her family, that concern warped into bitchiness.

Bayley's father, Vince, sat next to his wife. A self-made success, Vince felt superior to anyone who hadn't achieved his 'rags to riches' type of success and considered those people to be failures. Since Roman had a different concept of 'success', needless to say, he wasn't considered good enough for Vince's youngest child.

Sitting next to Vince was his older daughter, Stephanie. Roman managed to restrain from grimacing. Stephanie's smiles never reached her eyes except sometimes when she smiled at her husband or children. Probably even more cold-blooded than her father when it came to business, she treated her younger sister as a not-so-smart child in need of big sister's guidance. Roman didn't trust her for a second.

Roman's grey eyes flickered to his brother-in-law, Hunter. He was just as driven as Vince with the same idea of what constituted 'success'. A powerfully-built man, he used his size to intimidate others and Roman knew it rankled his brother-in-law that he had never been intimidated by Hunter even when he had demanded to know his intentions towards his 'little sister'. Roman had replied it was none of his damn business and used his own size to counter Hunter's attempt at intimidation.

Roman caught his wife's glance and smiled at her. He patted her knee under the table to reassure her. Inwardly he sighed. A few more hours and they could make their escape. He glanced over his shoulder to where his sons were supposed to be playing with Stephanie and Hunter's sons.

Both Randy and Kevin were spoiled little brats in his opinion. Both were older and bigger than his boys so he'd been keeping an eye on them after they'd finished their meal at a separate table. From the look of disgust on both Dean and Seth's faces when they saw the food on their plates, he knew they'd be making a stop somewhere on the way home to eat. Maybe Outback…

"You've heard from Shane?"

Roman brought his concentration back to the conversation. Stephanie's voice had raised and her blue eyes had widened.

"Why would Shane contact **you**?" Stephanie demanded. She ignored Hunter's hand on her arm.

' _Yep. First shot fired,'_ Roman thought.

Bayley genially smiled. "He's our brother, Stephanie. Why shouldn't he contact me?" She paused. "I hear from him all the time."

Roman reached for his drink to keep himself from laughing. Vince and Stephanie's faces had the exact same expression of confusion. Hunter's expression was one of wariness while Linda maintained her composure.

Shane. The specter at the feast. Vince and Linda's only son and oldest child. He'd met Shane a couple of times when he and Bayley first started dating. Shane, who had said 'thanks, but no thanks' to the girls his parents pushed at him and married his high school sweetheart. Shane, who had worked for five years in his father's investment firm then said 'thanks, but no thanks' and struck out on his own taking advantage of an opportunity in Australia.

Roman figured that Stephanie's irritation wasn't so much that Shane and Bayley had been in contact but concern that Shane might one day return to be a part of his father's business. And Vince had always wanted Shane to take over one day. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard his wife say "…invitation to visit."

He glanced at his wife with a small smile. Whether or not it was true, it certainly put a cat in the midst of the pigeons.

"Nonsense!" Vince spoke up. "That's far too long a journey for two little boys. They'll stay with us."

"Actually, Dad, they could say with us," Stephanie proposed. "They would have our boys as company."

"Don't be silly," Bayley chuckled. "There's no way I could be away from my boys that long. We'll just break up the trip into smaller segments."

"The boys were interested in seeing the Space Needle," Roman added with a twinkle in his eyes. "I just got back from Seattle, and Bayley had told them all about it. Then maybe Hawaii for a few days and then on to Australia. On the way back, stop off in San Francisco. The boys would get a kick out of riding the trolley cars."

"That's quite an…ambitious trip," Hunter commented.

Roman was sure the word his brother-in-law meant to use was 'expensive'. He shrugged his wide shoulders. "Not really," he casually answered. He smiled when Bayley squeezed the hand he'd placed on her knee. This was actually turning out to be an interesting afternoon...until he heard his younger son scream.

Dean didn't like his cousins, Randy and Kevin. He didn't like the way they looked or talked or acted. Away from the adults who liked Seth but not him, they usually bullied his little brother and left him alone. But today they seemed to be ignoring Seth and concentrating on him. They were throwing a ball back and forth, but it seemed that both Randy and Kevin were intent on hitting him with the ball…throwing it hard and making it difficult for him to catch.

When Dean grunted as the ball hit him again on the shoulder, Seth snatched the ball from the ground and threw it away. "No more."

"You don't tell us what to do, runt," Kevin growled. "Not our fault the little baby over there can't catch right."

"Yeah, he's not even your brother, anyway," Randy added.

Seth and Dean looked at each other in confusion.

"He's adopted, you idiot." Kevin shoved Dean backwards. "He doesn't even look like you and your parents."

Seth looked at his brother. Ginger blonde curls. Blue eyes. Blue eyes that were now wide in shock.

"You're both four years old," Randy pointed out. "That doesn't happen unless you're twins or adopted. And you're not twins."

"And **he** doesn't look like you or your parents," Kevin repeated.

"His **real** parents didn't want him so they dumped him," Randy snickered.

"You understand, brat?" Kevin shoved Seth. "He's not your real brother. He's adopted. Just a throw away baby nobody wanted."

" **MY BROTHER**!" Seth screamed and kicked Kevin in the stomach. The older boy groaned and fell to his knees. " **MY BROTHER**!" He turned and dived on Randy who was frozen in shock at the small four-year old taking down the larger six-year old. Then he was on his back with a small tornado sitting on his chest pounding him with small fists.

Roman exploded from his chair, running across the yard. Bayley was on his heels with the other adults following behind them.

"Seth!" Roman grabbed his younger son around the waist and pulled him up against his own chest. "Seth! Stop it!"

" **MY BROTHER**!" Seth furiously screeched. " **MINE**!"

Roman gently shook his son, ignoring his in-laws' angry voices. "Seth! Stop it! Now!"

Seth took a deep breath, then hiccupped. "They say Dean not my brother! He is! They say he 'dopted! But he **my brother**!"

Bayley had knelt next to Dean who seemed to be in a trance. "Dean, honey?" She gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Dean?"

The boy's blue eyes blankly stared into his mother's dark eyes. "Mommy?"

"Yeah, sweetheart. It's okay now," Bayley soothed him.

"Mommy?"

Bayley suddenly realized her son wasn't asking if she was there with him but if she was really his Mommy. She immediately clamped down on her anger and hugged him. "Mommy's here, sweetheart. Mommy's here." She stood and ruffled his curls.

Dean continued to stare at her in silence.

"What the hell happened? What did Dean do?" Vince angrily demanded.

Roman furiously turned to respond but stopped when his wife spoke.

"Roman, take the boys to the car. I'll be there shortly."

Roman glanced at his wife who stood holding Dean next to her. When dating Bayley, it hadn't taken him long to realize that his petite sunny-natured wife had a temper he never wanted to trigger. And right now, hearing her furious clipped voice, he realized he didn't want either himself or his sons to be near ground zero when she exploded. With a nod, he picked Dean up. Boys in both arms, he walked across the yard and around the house to where they were parked.

"Dean did nothing." Bayley's fists were clenched in anger.

"He must have done…"

"Shut up, Hunter!" Bayley glared at her brother-in-law. "Seth was the one who was fighting. Not Dean."

"Dean probably put him up to it," Stephanie snapped.

Bayley glared at the two boys who were standing between their parents. "Who told you Dean is adopted?" she demanded. When they remained silent, she raised her voice. "I asked you a question!"

Randy exchanged a quick look with his brother. "Nobody," he finally answered.

Bayley nodded. "So you overheard your parents talking about it? Or your grandparents?" When they didn't answer, she glared at the adults.

"Bayley, he had to know some time," Linda pointed out.

"Not like this!" Bayley snapped.

"Watch your tone, young lady," Vince warned.

"No, I won't!" Bayley furiously shouted. "You've never liked Roman or approved of him! You've always favored Seth over Dean! I warned you! All of you! I wasn't going to allow it anymore!" She took a deep breath. "We would pick the time and way to tell Dean about his adoption. That was for **us** to do." She glared at the two boys. "Not for them!"

"Well, it's done now," Hunter shrugged.

"Yeah, it's done now," Bayley sarcastically replied. "Thanks for that brilliant observation, genius!" She glared at them. "Dean now knows he's different from his brother. So what if he has blue eyes and Seth has brown eyes? So what if his hair is lighter than his brother or parents? That meant nothing until a few minutes ago." She shook her head. "You had no right…no right at all to be talking about something that's not your business! Especially when these boys could hear it."

"You're making more out of this than it's worth," Vince scoffed.

"Don't you dare tell me what my son is worth!" Bayley screamed. "He's worth this and a whole lot more!" She took another deep breath. "I'm done. We won't be back."

"Bayley, don't be ridiculous," Linda pleaded. "We're your family."

Bayley stared at each of them for a few seconds.

"No, you're not."

Roman leaned against the side of their SUV, still holding the boys against his chest. Seth was still shaking from anger, and Dean was shaking like he'd done when rescued from the washer…in fear and terror.

"You guys are okay," Roman soothed. He pressed a kiss to the top of each boy's head. "We're going as soon as Mommy gets here."

"Daddy, let me down." Seth wiggled, trying to escape his father's grasp. "I wanna kick Kevin some more."

"No, you're not," Roman firmly disagreed. "The fight's over. You won, tiger. Now relax." He turned his attention to Dean who had a death grip on his shirt. "Dean, you're safe. We love you, and you're safe." He nuzzled the boy's head when Dean gave out a small sigh. "I'm so sorry they hurt you," he murmured. "So very sorry. But it's not going to happen again. You guys don't ever have to be around them anymore. I promise." He felt Dean stiffen then relax in his arms.

Seth angrily muttered. "I'll kick Kevin again and hit Randy. I will, Daddy."

"I know," Roman sighed. "I'm proud of you, Seth. You stuck up for your brother."

Seth heaved a grunt but also started to relax.

Dean turned his head to look up at Roman. "Daddy?"

Roman's heart broke at the sorrowful tone in his son's voice. "Always, Dean. Always." He gently kissed his son's forehead. Seeing Bayley angrily marching towards them, he straightened up. "Here comes Mommy. Let's get you guys in your car seats."

Without a word of explanation, Bayley squeezed in the back seat between the two car seats. Roman smiled and gave her a nod of agreement. As he started the engine, he was aware of Linda walking towards them. He glanced at Bayley in the rearview mirror. When she firmly shook her head 'no', Roman put the SUV in gear and drove away.

Roman carried Dean into their house. The boy was far too quiet and pale for his peace of mind. Seth, fortunately, had calmed down having released most of his anger. He looked at Bayley, not sure what to do but knowing some explanation had to be made.

"Why don't you take them upstairs to our room?" Bayley suggested. "Get comfortable on our bed."

Roman silently nodded. He reached for Seth's hand and walked up the stairs.

Bayley wrapped her arms around herself and took a deep breath. Later, the pain would come from having broken with her family. Right now, she had to concentrate on Dean…on helping him to understand…to realize he was loved and cherished. She heard a buzzing from her purse indicating a phone call. She opened her purse and saw it was from her mother.

Sighing, she accepted the call. "What is it?" she brusquely answered.

"Bayley, please be reasonable…" Linda began.

"About what? About my son being confused and scared to the point he's not even talking?" Bayley angrily hissed. "Just what is it that I'm supposed to be 'reasonable' about?"

Linda sighed. "We warned you," she pointed out. "When you and Roman adopted that boy…we warned you that you knew nothing about his mental state."

"His..are you serious?" Bayley angrily tugged on her dark hair. "He was eighteen months old!"

"And he's getting older," Linda pointed out. "You know very well his home life and his parents'…lifestyle wasn't the best to nurture him."

Bayley tried counting to ten but only got to four. "Listen to me closely, Mom. And Dad, you too if you're listening in. You've never accepted Roman. You've never accepted Dean. I don't accept that any longer. Don't call me. Don't text me. Don't stop by the house. If I have to get a restraining order, I will."

"Honey, Seth is our grandchild!" Linda protested.

"So is Dean," Bayley coldly replied. "You've done enough damage already. You're not doing any more. Goodbye." Disconnecting the call, Bayley took several deep breaths. Roman would have been surprised, if not shocked, by the angry expletives being whispered by his wife. When her cell phone buzzed again and she saw the call was from her mother, she blocked the number.

Roman sat on his bed with his back against the headboard. He held Dean and Seth on his lap, cuddling them close to his chest. He heard Seth's quiet whispers of 'my brother' and realized Seth had been hit just as hard as Dean. But Seth was letting in out while Dean was keeping it bottled up inside of him. He glanced at his phone sitting on the bedside table when it began buzzing, then ignored it.

"Phone, Daddy," Seth quietly spoke.

"Doesn't matter." Roman patted the boy's back. "I'll talk to them later."

A few seconds later, Bayley walked into the bedroom then crawled onto the bed next to her husband and sons.

Roman irritably looked at the phone which was buzzing again. He reached for it, then frowned when he saw the caller was Linda.

"I'll take that." Bayley snatched the phone from his grasp.

Roman watched in surprise as Bayley blocked the caller then tossed the phone towards the foot of the bed. He raised his eyebrows at her but kept quiet, choosing instead to hug Dean closer to him.

"Dean, can you look at Mommy?" Bayley softly asked.

Reluctantly, Dean opened his eyes halfway.

"Hi, baby." Bayley leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Can you listen to me?"

Dean barely nodded.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," Bayley gently spoke. "Randy and Kevin overheard adults talking about something they weren't supposed to hear. And the adults shouldn't have been talking about it in the first place. All the blame and fault is on them."

"I'm not in trouble for kicking Kevin and hitting Randy?" Seth asked in surprise.

"Not this time." Roman kissed the boy's forehead. "You were sticking up for your brother. And I'm proud of you."

Seth grinned back in relief.

"What's a..adopt'd?"

They fell quiet, hearing the softly murmured question from Dean.

"I wasn't wanted?"

"You're wanted by us, sweetheart." Bayley reached forward and took the four-year old into her arms. "Every day of our lives. We love you and would be heart-broken if you weren't here."

"We've always wanted you and always will want you," Roman assured him.

Seth angrily huffed. "Kevin said he was a throw away. I wanna kick him again."

Roman clenched his teeth to keep from furiously shouting.

"Dean, sometimes mommies and daddies make bad decisions or things go really wrong and they can't take care of their babies," Bayley carefully explained. "And when that happens it's best for their babies to go live with people who will love them and take care of them."

Dean's blue eyes finally looked up at his Mommy.

"When we first saw you…you were a little one," Bayley recalled with a smile. "Able to take a few steps holding onto furniture…and the fastest crawler I've ever seen."

Roman chuckled in agreement.

"Daddy and I looked into your big blue eyes and fell in love with you at first sight," Bayley promised. "You were our little boy from the first minute we saw you. And we knew you'd be the best big brother to Seth."

"So we brought you home to live with us," Roman continued. "And a couple of months later, a judge made it final. You and Seth are our boys and that's that."

"We've always been your Mommy and Daddy and will always be your Mommy and Daddy," Bayley promised.

"My brother," Seth whispered.

"And it doesn't matter what anybody says," Bayley stressed, stroking Dean's curls from his forehead. "You, me, Seth, and Daddy are a family. Forever."

"Believe that," Roman solemnly added.

"And fuck Kevin and Randy!" Seth vehemently added.

" **SETH ROLLINS**!"

Seth winced. Two names.

"That's not a nice word," Bayley firmly spoke.

"Which one?" Seth innocently asked.

Roman's lips twitched.

"You know which one," Bayley warned. "Where did you hear that word?"

Seth bit his lower lip. "Aunt Sasha," he muttered.

' _Thank God.'_ Roman was relieved it wasn't him.

"Hmmm…" Bayley glanced at her husband, then back at Seth. "I'll have a talk with Aunt Sasha about words that aren't nice. Don't say it again."

"Okay," Seth whispered. He glanced up at his Mommy then mouthed the word 'fuck' to Dean.

Because that caused Dean to smile a little, Roman decided to ignore it.

"I mean it, Roman!" Bayley quietly hissed at her husband as she fumbled with her phone. "They've hurt you ever since we started dating, and you put up with it for my sake and then for the sake of the boys. They've done nothing but either ignore Dean or talk down to him in their snide way. And we let it go as long as Dean wasn't understanding it. Well, no more. I've blocked Mother and now I'm blocking Dad and Stef and Hunter." She angrily shook her head. "Fuck all of them."

"Do I need to have a talk with Aunt Sasha about saying bad words?" Roman teased.

Bayley glared at him.

"Listen to me, baby girl." Roman put his hands on her shoulders and guided her to the sit on the bed. He knelt in front of her and took her hands. "I never wanted to be the reason to come between you and your family. We don't see them that often and…" he shrugged. "Actually, I never cared enough about them for it to bother me." He squeezed her hands. "But our boys are the best reason to draw a line and stick with it. You warned them. More than once. Now they gotta live with the consequences." He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. "I'm just sorry it's hurting you."

Bayley closed her eyes, feeling hot tears begin to run down her cheeks. She felt Roman remove the phone from her hand then gently slide her onto the bed and into his arms.

"Let it go, Bayley," Roman whispered. "I love you and I've got you."

Seth turned his head towards his brother's bed. The small nightlight in the corner of their room provided enough light that he could see his brother curled up under a sheet and facing the wall away from him.

Slowly the younger boy got out of his bed and climbed into the matching twin bed. Curling up against Dean's back, he gently patted the sheet-covered arm. "My brother," he whispered. "Mine."

A few seconds later, Dean's hand gripped his and squeezed.

In the kitchen the next morning, Bayley flashed her husband a grin as she closed the oven door. "You know we're going to do it."

Roman sighed. "I'm just not convinced it's the right decision."

Bayley leaned against the refrigerator door. "Yeah, you're convinced. You just want to play Devil's Advocate."

"I'm trying to be the responsible one," Roman protested although his lips quirked into a smile.

"How's that working out for you?" Bayley chuckled.

Roman shook his head. "Not very well," he admitted. "I'll wake the boys."

Roman grinned as he stood in the doorway of his sons' bedroom. Both boys were in Dean's bed…Dean huddled under the sheet and Seth sprawled out next to him. Seth's dark eyes flickered open as Roman walked towards the bed.

"Hi, Daddy," he mumbled, knuckling his eyes. One elbow accidentally jabbed his brother in the back.

One of Dean's arms wiggled out from under the sheet and his hand smacked the air where he thought his brother was.

"Good morning, sunshine," Roman chuckled as he sat on the side of the bed.

Seth scrambled to his knees, then sat down on his Daddy's lap. "Where's Mommy?" he sleepily asked.

"Downstairs fixing breakfast." Roman cuddled his younger son then reached over and gently patted Dean's shoulder. "Time to get up, Dean."

A muffled grumble of protest floated up from under the sheet.

"I think Mommy's making waffles," Roman sing-songed.

Seth looked up, a little tongue licking his lips. "Waffles?"

"Uh-huh. And bacon."

Seth's tongue appeared and reappeared again as his dark eyes widened.

"Bacon?" A voice from beneath the sheet sounded interested.

"Yep. Bacon." Roman patted Dean's sheet-covered leg. "Come on. I'm giving rides down to the kitchen for hungry boys."

Bayley began laughing when Roman trotted into the kitchen with both their sons hanging onto his neck like a couple of monkeys.

"Waffles, Mommy!" Seth giggled as his father flipped him onto his feet.

"Waffles **and** bacon, thanks to your Daddy," Bayley grinned, pointing to the table.

"Thank you, Daddy." Seth quickly climbed onto his chair, eagerly looking at his Mommy.

Bayley mentally crossed her fingers, hoping her younger son would eat a full meal for once.

Roman tugged Dean into his arms. "You okay, little man?" he murmured.

Dean nodded with a half-smile.

"Okay." Roman nodded, then casually flipped Dean onto his feet.

Dean gave a happy squeal, then joined his brother at the table.

Bayley's wish was almost granted. Seth ate all his serving of fruit and over half the waffle. She watched when he broke his piece of bacon in half and started to flip one half towards his brother. "No, Seth. Don't throw food."

Seth's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I share with Dean."

"That's good, but don't throw," Bayley gently advised. "Give it to Daddy and ask him to give it to Dean."

Both boys looked at their Mommy as if trying to figure out why she was making things difficult.

Roman smirked but held out his hand to Seth and waited. Seth shrugged then handed the piece of bacon to his Daddy who passed it to Dean.

"Thank you," Dean politely responded, then shoved the piece of bacon into his mouth.

Seth bit into his piece of bacon and happily hummed.

Roman chuckled as Bayley shook her head. "He said thank you," he muttered to her as he took his plate to the sink to rinse it.

Bayley wryly nodded and took her plate to the sink. "As soon as you boys are done, you can watch Animal Planet," she said. "I'll get it set up for you on the TV. Then later we'll get dressed and go out."

Neither adult missed the boys' reaction. Seth's eyes flew open. Dean's entire body stiffened. Both boys exchanged looks then simultaneously turned their heads to stare at their parents. Seth's eyes were wary and narrowed while Dean's was wide with concern.

"Where…where are we going?" Dean finally asked.

Bayley knelt next to his chair. "No place you don't want to go," she gently assured him. She was aware that Roman had walked to stand next to Seth's chair, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "Honey, you don't ever have to go back to my parents' house or Aunt Stephanie's ever again if you don't want." She gently squeezed his knee. "I'm not going back either." She patiently waited until Dean relaxed and gave her a small nod.

Roman felt Seth's body relax under his hand, and he kissed the top of his younger son's head. "You're a good brother," he whispered. "Proud of you, Seth. Really proud of you."

"Where are we going?" Dean repeated, this time in a firmer voice.

"It's a surprise," Roman promised. "A good one."

"What is this, Daddy?" Dean asked as Roman lifted him from his car seat and placed him on the asphalt parking lot.

"You'll see," Roman grinned. He took Dean's hand and they joined Seth and Bayley at the back of the SUV.

Seth was curiously looking around as he swung his Mommy's hand.

Bayley exchanged a grin with Roman as they started across the parking lot. As they got closer, the attention of both boys was on the large poster that covered one window. It showed one playpen full of puppies and another full of kittens.

"Puppies!" Seth squealed. "Dean! Puppies!"

Dean's blue eyes widened. "We're going to get a puppy?"

"We're going to see if there's a puppy that will fit with our family," Bayley advised. "But we won't be able to take him or her home with us today. We'll have to get things for the puppy."

"And this shelter had a class to help the new owners learn how to take care of puppies," Roman added. "Unless you can show you can take care of a puppy, you can't take one home."

"We'll learn," Dean eagerly promised. "I help take care of Seth."

Seth's dark eyes narrowed. "I not a puppy," he muttered.

Grinning, Roman opened the door for his family.

"Good afternoon. I'm Tyler. Are you interested in adopting a pet?"

Roman felt Dean stiffen. "We're interested in a including a puppy in our family." He reached down and picked Dean up. "Something **our** boys can play with and love." He patted Dean's back as the boy put his head on Roman's shoulder.

"Sure." Tyler smiled. "We've got some puppies I think will work."

Seth eagerly pulled his mother behind him as he trotted after Tyler. Roman followed with his older son in his arms. Once back where the animals were kept, he put Dean down on his feet and took his small hand in his. Then both jumped at the sound of a high-pitched squeal.

" **PUPPY**!"

Seth broke from his mother's grasp and ran to the far end of the room. He fell to his knees and slid the remaining few feet to stop at a cage where a small Yorkshire terrier was excitedly jumping up and down, barking in excitement.

Both Roman and Dean jumped again at the sound of a second squeal.

" **OH HOW CUTE**!"

Bayley knelt next to Seth, laughing as the small puppy began jumping up and down in front of her.

Dean tugged on his Daddy's arm and Roman released the boy from his grasp. He watched his older son trot across the room to join the others.

Tyler grinned. "He's only been here a few days and is definitely up for adoption. His owner brought him in when his job got transferred overseas. He didn't want to go through the process and cost of quarantine in taking his pet so he brought him here for adoption." He walked down to where Bayley & Seth sat in front of the cage.

Roman heard a faint sniff and glanced down at Dean. The boy stood with his head lowered. Roman knelt next to the boy. "Dean?" he softly spoke. "Talk to me. Please."

"I sneezed," Dean mumbled, rubbing his nose.

"Dean." Roman shook his head. Sighing, he pulled the boy into his arms and walked back to the front office. He patted Dean's back as he sat down in one of the visitors' chairs. "We love you so much. We can't imagine you not being in our family."

Dean angrily wiped his reddened eyes. "Not crying."

"I know," Roman nodded. "But it's okay if you do."

"Was I in a cage?" Dean burst out. "When you 'dopted me?"

"Oh, Dean, no!" Roman tightly hugged the little boy. "Listen to me. You were a nice place. With your own bed. Toys to play with. Other little kids. Warm. Safe. Lots of food." He took a deep breath. "Whatever Kevin and Randy said is garbage. Just…garbage. Put it out of your mind. What you need to always remember is that Mommy, Seth, and I love you with all our hearts. You are and always will be a part of our family. Just as much as Seth." He kissed the top of the boy's head and gently rocked him. "Any time you got a question about this, you ask us. Any time you feel sad or get upset about it, talk to us. Mommy and I will always listen."

"Love you, Daddy." Dean's voice was muffled against Roman's chest.

"I love you, Dean."

Bayley worriedly glanced over her shoulder when she saw Roman reappear, carrying Dean in his arms. Seth sat happily playing with the puppy who had been released from the cage.

Roman barely nodded at her, then murmured in Dean's ear. He put the little boy down and watched as Dean joined his brother to play with the puppy.

Bayley got to her feet and joined her husband. "Is he okay?" she whispered.

Roman half-shrugged. He hesitated, then muttered, "He got his adoption confused with the puppy's adoption. He asked me if he was in a cage when he was adopted."

Bayley's dark eyes widened in horror. She turned around so the boys wouldn't see her expression.

"C'mon, baby girl. Get it together," Roman quietly urged. He heard both boys giggling as the puppy tried to lick both their faces. He glanced at Tyler. "Does he have a name?"

Both boys looked up.

"He's Yorkie," Seth declared. He laughed when the puppy barked, tail wagging the lower half of his body in excitement.

"Yorkie?" Bayley asked.

Dean nodded. "He said he's a Yorksh—shire terror. So he's Yorkie."

"Terrier, honey," Bayley smiled. "Not terror."

Dean shrugged and went back to patting Yorkie's head.

Roman covered his mouth and muttered, "One week with the boys, and terror might be a good name." He grunted softly when Bayley jammed her elbow into his side. Then he turned to Tyler. "I guess we're getting a puppy."

Although disappointed they couldn't take Yorkie home with them, the boys settled down once they were again told they would need to take a class to prove they could take care of the puppy. Their parents would also attend. The next class was for 3pm the following day, but Roman agreed. He knew he could leave work early using comp time.

Making sure the boys understood they would also be responsible for the puppy, Bayley and Roman included them in discussions while shopping in the pet store on the right type of food for the puppy, toys, and the puppy's bed. Roman idly wondered why he was spending money on Yorkie's bed when he knew damn well the puppy would end up in bed with the boys. Thankfully, Yorkie was already trained.

Dean looked aghast when he understood what that meant. And what it meant to take Yorkie 'for a walk'. "Seth can do that," he declared, pointing a finger at his little brother.

Seth's dark eyes narrowed. "Nuh-uh." He shook his head. "Mommy and Daddy said we both do it."

"Exactly," Roman firmly agreed. "If you want the puppy, you both have to be responsible for him."

"De-ee-eennn," Seth whined.

"Fine," Dean sighed. "We'll do it together."

Bayley made a mental note to try and keep track of which boy actually handled the 'walking' duties. She knew Dean would try to get out of it…just like he tried to get out of eating peas.

They were standing in line to check out when Dean tugged on his father's arm. "Daddy?"

"What, Dean?" Roman glanced down with a smile.

"You said I could ask." Dean looked down at his sneakers then sideways up at this father.

Roman knelt down in front of his son. "You can always ask," he nodded.

"The man said Yorkie got brought back to get 'dopted. Could I get brought back?"

Roman gathered his son into his arms and closed his eyes. He shoved his anger towards his in-laws away and steadied his voice. "Never," he whispered. "Never in a ga-zillion years."

"Okay." Dean nodded.

Roman noted the worried look in the boy's eyes and tried to figure out a way to make it go away.

"I've got it!" Roman grinned as he shut the refrigerator door a little harder than normal.

"Well, don't give it to the boys," Bayley smirked.

"No, this might help Dean." Roman eagerly paced back and forth across the kitchen. "Look, all our important papers are in the bank safety deposit vault, right? Marriage license. Passports. Insurance papers. Wills." He waved his hands in the air, encouraging Bayley to get the point. When she remained puzzled, he continued, "Birth cert…"

"Birth certificates!" Bayley shouted. She lowered her voice. "And Dean's adoption papers." She grabbed Roman's hands. "You really think it could help him? Because I'm stumped on how to help him."

"Worth a shot," Roman nodded.

Bayley reached up and pulled Roman's head down to give him a long lingering kiss. Grinning, she walked towards the living room. "Boys! Daddy and I need to talk with you!"

"I not do anything!" Seth loudly announced.

"Me either!" Dean added.

Bemused and thoroughly pleased with Bayley's response, Roman laughed under his breath. He jogged up the stairs to the master bedroom. While the original documents were secured in the bank's vault, photocopies of all their important papers were kept in a lock box in the closet in the master bedroom. As he grabbed the lock box and placed it on the dresser, he idly listened to his sons' protests about missing a 'really good' Paw Patrol. Seth's protests were more vehement than Dean's who considered it to be a 'baby' show but always watched it with Seth.

Unlocking the box, he quickly found the papers he wanted and jogged back downstairs. Both boys were sitting on the couch and neither looked very happy. Seth, in fact, was pouting, his arms crossed over his little chest. Bayley sat next to him, patting his leg. Dean looked more unsettled, a tiny crease of worry etched in his forehead.

"Is it about Yorkie?" Dean asked as Roman sat on the couch next to him.

"Not really," Roman assured him. "But Yorkie coming home with us got me to thinking." He glanced at Bayley, now wishing they'd stopped and taken the time to work up a game plan. He took a deep breath. "And I think we need to talk about what happened yesterday."

Seth automatically grabbed his brother's arm. Dean tried to pull it away then slumped back on the couch.

"When we bring Yorkie home, he'll have some papers that prove he belongs to us," Roman carefully explained. "The papers will have his name and maybe even his picture."

"If not, we'll take a picture and put it with the paperwork," Bayley added.

"A pic-tur? With us?" Seth eagerly asked.

"I'm thinking maybe a picture of Yorkie and the two of you," Bayley suggested.

Seth happily nodded in agreement.

"And the papers will say that nobody can take Yorkie away unless we're mean to him or can't take care of him." Roman studied his older son's face.

"We not be mean to Yorkie!" Seth indignantly argued. "We'll feed him. We'll walk him. We'll clean him. We'll love him."

Bayley kept herself from grinning when Dean flinched at the words 'we'll clean him'. Yep, her older son was definitely going to try to get out of that part of pet ownership. Then she saw him bite his lower lip and slowly look up at his Daddy.

Roman slowly unfolded two sheets of paper. "The papers will look a little different, but they'll mean the same as these." He handed one to Bayley who held it out so both boys could see. Roman also held his out.

"These are your birth certificates," Bayley explained. "It has your names and when you were born."

"And where you were born and the names of your Mommy and Daddy," Roman added.

"Where's my name?" Seth demanded, squinting at the paper his Mommy held.

"Right there." Bayley pointed. "SETH ROLLINS REIGNS. And you weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz. and were 20 inches long."

"Wow…" Seth breathed. "That's me."

Dean hesitantly touched the paper Roman held.

"DEAN AMBROSE REIGNS," Roman murmured. "Weighing in at 6 lb. 6 oz. and 20 inches long. Mother: Serena Bayley McMahon. Father: Roman Joseph Reigns."

"But…I was 'dopted." Dean's looked at his parents in confusion.

Bayley nodded. "And when you were adopted, you got a new birth certificate."

"And these papers are from a judge in a court who approved the adoption." Roman opened a large envelope and pulled out legal documents. "People came and made sure this would be a good home and we would be good parents. They saw how we were taking care of Seth and how happy a baby he was."

Seth grinned. "I helped?"

"You sure did, sweetheart." Bayley hugged him. "You cooed and smiled and showed them we took good care of you. And these papers mean that unless we're mean to you or don't take good care of you, that nobody can ever take you boys away from us."

" **Believe that** ," Roman firmly added.

Dean hesitantly touched the legal documents then looked up at his Daddy. He was aware of Seth squeezing his arm again. He turned his head to look at his Mommy who was smiling at him. Then he firmly nodded his head. "I believe." He felt his Daddy's kiss on the top of his head. "And fuck Kevin and Randy," he growled.

"Yeah!" Seth gleefully shouted. "Fuck Kevin and Randy!"

" **BOYS!"** Bayley couldn't help it. She grinned.

Roman loudly laughed. Papers fell to the floor as he scooped up both boys onto his lap and hugged them. Then he pulled Bayley across the couch and next to them.

"Don't say bad words." Bayley tried not to snicker.

Roman heard Dean chuckle and knew that Seth had just mouthed the word 'fuck' to him.

Bayley sat on the deck overlooking the back yard, drinking her final cup of coffee for the day and watching her sons run around the backyard planning and arguing about the games they would play with Yorkie. Fortunately, their arguments never lasted long when she was around. Whenever they would begin to heatedly argue, one or the other (or both) would suddenly look in her direction. She would wave and get a wave back. Then they would figure it out.

Bayley wouldn't stand for them getting angry with each other much less an actual fight. And they knew it.

She knew, however, that Roman remembered his own arguments and fights with his brother and cousins and knew that eventually one or the other of his sons would lose his temper and a fight would break out. He just hoped that it didn't happen around Bayley and any bruising could be explained away as part of hard playing.

Bayley chuckled to herself. She could read all three of them like a book…a children's book actually, and almost looked forward to whatever explanation Roman and the boys would try to pass off as the truth. She'd let all three of them have a turn with the shovel at digging their own graves.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of her cellphone. She glanced at the display and frowned with concern. Picking it up, she quietly answered, "Shane? Is anything wrong?"

"Hi, Sis!"

Her older brother's breezy voice calmed her. He couldn't be that relaxed if something was wrong.

"Can't a brother call to bug his baby sister?"

Bayley did some quick calculations. "It's 2:30 in the morning your time," she pointed out with a grin.

"Well, I was up anyway. So…heard little Seth took down both Randy and Kevin," Shane snickered.

"Oh my God," Bayley groaned. "They called you."

Shane laughed. He settled back on the couch, propping his feet onto the coffee table. "Oh yeah. Mom was teary about missing Seth."

"But not about missing Dean," Bayley snorted.

"Dad was angry at Dean causing the whole incident."

Bayley caught herself before she yelled something the boys didn't need to hear. "That's not what happened," she finally replied.

"Then Stephanie called. Angry that you were choosing Dean over them."

"He's my son!"

"And, of course, Hunter had to get involved by expressing concern about **his** sons being around Dean."

"Seth was the one fighting," Bayley huffed.

"You actually blocked their numbers so they can't call you? And threatened to get a restraining order?"

"Yes," Bayley hissed. "And I mean it. They went too far."

"Good for you," Shane quietly spoke. There was silence for a few seconds before he continued. "You know that's a big reason why I took this opportunity and moved us to Sydney. I left before they decided which of my kids would be their favorite." He sighed. "I'm sorry it got to this point. And I'm damned sorry Dean got put through all that. How's he doing?"

Bayley glanced at the boys who were now climbing the Jungle Gym. "Better. I think he was actually in shock for a while. Kevin and Randy both said horrid things to him. He…it was hard for him to understand."

"I can't imagine." Shane shook his head. "But he's better now?"

"Yeah. Roman had the idea of showing both boys their birth certificate and Dean's adoption papers," Bayley explained. "It seemed to settle something in Dean's mind." She giggled. "Oh my gosh, Shane! Seth was so furious when Roman pulled him off Randy. Roman said Seth wanted to be put down so he could kick Kevin again. Then later that evening, we were talking with the boys about everything and Seth blurted out 'Fuck Kevin and Randy'. It was all Roman and I could do not to laugh."

Shane burst out laughing. "So who did he hear that word from?"

"Aunt Sasha."

"I'm not surprised," Shane snickered. "I know she's your best friend and I like her, too. But when she's pissed off, she's got a mouth on her like a drunken sailor on shore leave."

"When Dean saw his birth certificate and adoption papers, he said that as well and, of course, Seth piped up and repeated it." She grinned. "This time Roman couldn't help it. And then I started laughing. Anyway, we're going this afternoon to get the boys a puppy. Dean kinda got things confused in his mind between his adoption and getting the puppy, but I think it's worked out now."

"By the way, next time give me a heads up when I invite you guys down here," Shane teased.

"I'm sorry," Bayley apologized.

"Don't be sorry," Shane replied. "It just caught me off guard. I almost said 'what invitation' and ruined the whole thing."

Bayley was relieved to hear him chuckle. "They were…oh you know how they are, Shane. Saying stuff about how successful people I knew growing up are becoming. All of it digs at Roman. I just wanted to throw something back at them."

"I'm not complaining," Shane assured her. "And, yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. But, seriously, the invitation is there. Whenever Roman can get the time, come on down. Let us know the dates and I'll get some time off as well. We'll show you guys Australia first class." He heard his sister's intake of breath. "We've got the room. We can let the boys take over the basement and pretend to be camping out. Finn will love it. Although they may have to put up with Paige joining in. God help them."

Bayley snickered. "Are you sure Becky won't mind?"

Shane glanced down at his wife, snuggled against him on the couch. "Not at all," he answered.

"Thanks, Shane. I'll let you know," Bayley promised.

"I'm holding you to that," Shane warned. "Don't let them get to you, Sis. Your kids are too important for that."

"I know I've got a soft heart. But not this time. They hurt my baby, Shane."

Shane heard the cold steel in his little sister's voice and grinned. "I hear that. Love ya, Bayley."

"Love you, Shane."

Shane thumbed the 'off' button on his cell phone and hugged his wife.

"She okay?" Becky asked, sitting up.

"Yeah," Shane sighed. "She's hurt but also angry."

Becky snorted, using one hand to shove her disheveled red hair off her face. "She's much nicer than I'd be," she pointed out, her Irish accent thickening from anger. "I'd'a knocked some heads together."

"Show off those kickboxing skills, huh?" Shane teased. "I think little Seth gave them good enough knocks." He laughed. "He also said 'Fuck Kevin and Randy'."

"Good for him!" Becky grinned. "I'll teach him to curse them in Gaelic. No, wait, I'll get Sheamus to do it. He can take the blame." She knew her brother would do it in a heartbeat. He'd done it under his breath enough times when Becky and Shane were dating, not liking his sister's future in-laws for one second. He'd also provided the business opportunity so they could move away from Shane's family.

"They're still my nephews," Shane softly pointed out.

Becky saw the flash of old pain in her husband's eyes and gently kissed him. "Okay, I won't do it and won't ask Sheamus to do it either." She kissed him again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Shane hugged her close to him. "It's all…complicated."

"I know, love. I know."

Roman turned in his reports and cleared his desk as best as possible in order to get out of the office before noon. He planned to pick up food on the way home and have a leisurely lunch with his family before going to attend class and bring Yorkie home.

Turning his computer off and picking up the stack of interoffice envelopes to give to the administrative assistant, he grabbed his briefcase and walked to his office door. Opening it, he froze for a second hearing a voice he really didn't want to hear.

Stepping out of his office, he closed the door behind him and turned around. "Hunter."

"Roman. We need to talk."

Roman handed the enveloped to the assistant. "I'm out the rest of the day," he smiled. "I'll be in tomorrow morning." He turned back to Hunter. "We can talk on the way out."

Hunter fell into step next to him. "Able to leave your work early?" he asked.

"Obviously." Roman pressed the elevator button. "Is that what you came to talk about?"

Hunter sighed. "Look, this…situation has gotten out of hand. Bayley won't even talk to anyone."

"Is there a reason she should?"

The elevator door opened and Roman entered, pressing the button for the garage level.

Hunter quickly joined him in the elevator as the doors began to close. "How does Bayley expect to hear an apology if she doesn't meet people half-way?"

"I'm still waiting to hear a reason why she should."

"I'm talking about **family** , Roman!" Hunter warned.

Roman nodded. "So is Bayley. So am I." He turned to stare into Hunter's eyes. "I know you and the McMahons don't like or approve of me. So what? I'm a grown man. Whether or not you like or approve of me isn't worth a single minute of my time. But Bayley warned you…all of you about making Seth a favorite over Dean. And after what happened on Saturday…" Roman shook his head and returned his stare to the closed elevator doors.

"That was unfortunate," Hunter admitted.

"Unfortunate." Roman's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Unfortunate that your sons overheard the adults in their lives talking about something that's none of your business or unfortunate that Bayley did what she warned she'd do?"

The elevator door opened and Roman entered the garage, walking towards his parked car. "Your boys hurt our son. Seth defended his brother. Bayley and I then spent the weekend trying to explain to Dean and Seth what is almost impossible for kids their age to understand." He unlocked his car and tossed his briefcase onto the front seat.

"The fact is…" Hunter began.

Roman slammed the car door shut and spun to face his brother-in-law. "Your boys told Dean his real parents didn't want him! That he was a throw-away! That is **unacceptable**!" He angrily glared at the other man. "Totally and completely unacceptable!" He pushed by Hunter and walked to the driver's side of the car. "Bayley chose **her** family…her sons and me. A choice shoved at her by you and the McMahons. So live with that choice."

By the time Roman brought lunch into the house, he'd calmed down. He knew he'd tell Bayley later about the confrontation with Hunter; but for now, he was going to enjoy the rest of the day with his family.

The long lost Holy Grail wouldn't have been received any more joyously than the fish dinners he'd brought home from Captain D's. Even Seth was eating a little more than usual.

"So is everything ready for Yorkie?" Roman asked.

"We cleaned up the backyard so Yorkie would have plenty of room to run around," Dean nodded. "Mommy was on the phone but she watched us."

"And we helped Mommy put little fences around her plants 'cause Yorkie's just a puppy and don't know not to go in there," Seth added.

"But we need you to help with Yorkie's bed," Dean continued.

Roman glanced at Bayley who grinned. "Help with what?" He knew the bed was already assembled.

"It seems they want Yorkie to sleep between their beds, but there's not enough room," Bayley explained. "So the beds need to be moved."

"Ah." Roman took a few sips of his lemonade. "If Yorkie sleeps between your beds, you might step on him when one of you gets out of your bed to get into the other bed. You wouldn't want to step on Yorkie, would you?"

"No!" Seth looked horrified.

Dean frowned, his forehead wrinkled as he thought. "But we want Yorkie there."

Bayley patted his hand. "What's more important? Yorkie sleeping between your beds or Yorkie not being stepped on?"

"Not being stepped on." Dean's voice indicated he thought the question was silly.

"Okay, so after we eat lunch, let's see if we can find a safe place for Yorkie to sleep," she suggested.

A half-hour later, both boys were lying on Seth's bed watching as their Daddy moved their dresser along one wall. Dean sat up and grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it around him. He lay back down, his head resting on Seth's back. Seth kicked his feet out from under the sheet but didn't move his brother's head.

Then Mommy shook her head and said it wasn't going to work. Then Daddy said he'd move it more and they could put their play table to where the dresser had been and….

Bayley nudged Roman as he reached for Yorkie's bed to put it where the play table had been.

He looked to where she was pointing and grinned.

Dean lay wrapped up in the sheet with only ginger blonde curls stick out. His head lay planted in the middle of Seth's back. The younger boy was sprawled out one hand dangling off the end of the bed.

Bayley grinned and pumped one fist in the air. She mouthed 'nap time' to her husband who wiggled his eyebrows at her in amused agreement.

Seth squealed with happiness when reunited with Yorkie. The small terrier immediately began licking Seth's face as soon as the little boy wrapped his arms around the wiggling puppy. Dean knelt next to them and received his share of welcoming licks.

"He remembers us!" Seth joyfully told his parents.

Both Bayley and Roman leaned down and patted Yorkie's head, playing with the dog until Tyler joined them. "Ready for class?"

"Yes, we are," Bayley assured him with a grin.

Class started with knowing how to put a leash on Yorkie and the proper way to hold it. Roman managed to keep from laughing when Seth nearly fell because he held the leash too loosely and Yorkie decided to run. Dean's yell of "No, Yorkie! Stop!" halted the terrier who looked at the boy with confusion.

Dean was better at leash management while Seth excelled in praising the puppy when Yorkie obeyed. They learned about not overfeeding the puppy and what foods Yorkie absolutely could not have. Bayley groaned when Dean asked if dogs liked peas. "No feeding Yorkie from the table," she warned.

Dean scowled, then nodded. "I won't, Mommy," he promised with such innocence his parents could see the halo above his head. The image was ruined when Seth snorted.

However, both parents were surprised when it came to 'cleaning up' after Yorkie. Seth paid close attention, his dark eyes wide as he listened to Tyler's every word. Dean, on the other hand, had a distinct greenish tint to his complexion. When Yorkie squatted, he slapped both hands over his mouth and frantically looked around.

Roman quickly grabbed his son and rapidly walked towards the exit. He found the restroom and used his shoulder to open the door. He set Dean down in one of the stalls and sympathetically watched as his son dry-heaved into the toilet. "You're okay," he murmured, rubbing the little boy's arms.

"I'm sorry," Dean finally gasped. He drew huge gulps of air into his lungs. "I'll try really hard, but…" He shuddered and dry-heaved again.

"Easy…easy…breathe deeply," Roman gently crooned.

"I'll…try but it's…it's… **yucky**!" Dean protested. "But I gotta 'cause Seth really wants Yorkie and I do too but I don't wanna touch…" Another round of dry heaving had Roman's own stomach curdling in sympathy.

"Don't think about it right now," Roman urged. "Just get calmed down. It'll be okay."

Dean stubbornly shook his head, fighting tears. "But if I don't do it, we can't take Yorkie home. And then Seth'll be mad at me!"

"We'll figure it out," Roman promised. He hugged his older son. "And we'll take Yorkie home."

"Mommy, what's wrong with Dean?"

Bayley patted her younger son's shoulder. "I think the idea of cleaning up after Yorkie really grosses him out."

"Why?" Seth looked from his Mommy to the puppy in confusion. "I wear gloves."

"Well, some things gross some people out and some things don't," Bayley explained. "Remember last Halloween when you were trick-or-treating? And someone dressed up as a bloody dead person?"

Seth shivered and nodded.

"Well, that grossed you out, right? But Dean just laughed."

"Mommy, if Dean can't do it can we still going to bring him home?" Seth asked.

"We'll figure it out," Bayley promised. She hugged him and winked at Tyler. "And we'll take Yorkie home."

Seth's head turned as the door opened. He saw his brother and Daddy walking towards them. And his brother had the same icky look on his face as he did when he had to eat cauliflower at Granmama's house.

"I have a suggestion," Bayley spoke up as she hugged Dean. "Rather than take turns doing things for Yorkie, why don't we let Seth take care of cleaning up after Yorkie and Dean be responsible for giving Yorkie his bath and taking care of the food and water dishes?"

Roman's grey eyes widened, thinking of a wet soapy dog running through the house followed by a wet soapy Dean chasing him. "With either Mommy or I helping with Yorkie's bath," he firmly added.

Bayley snickered.

Seth nodded. "I do all the cleaning, Dean. I promise."

"I'll do the other stuff," Dean promised. "Deal." The two boys shook hands.

" **Yeay**! We get Yorkie!" Seth jumped up and down in excitement, causing Yorkie to jump and bark as well. Dean grinned but rubbed his stomach.

"Roman!"

Reaching the top of the steps, Roman glanced down the hallway after hearing his wife hiss his name. Seeing her grin and beckoning gesture, he quietly joined her at the door of his sons' bedroom.

"This is **SO** cute!" Bayley whispered, genuine joy shining from her eyes. She opened the bedroom door wider so Roman could look in.

Roman again silently asked himself why he'd bought Yorkie his own bed. Just as he'd known, the puppy was curled up at the foot of Seth's bed. As normal, Dean was curled up under a sheet, his nose and top of his head the only part of him visible. Seth sprawled out next to him, lying on his stomach with one hand on what Roman guessed was Dean's sheet-covered arm and the other under his own pillow.

Bayley quickly snapped a few pictures using the camera in her smartphone, then grinned up at her husband who was gently closing the bedroom door. "So cute," she whispered again.

Roman kissed the top of her head and nodded. "Yeah," he admitted. "But…c'mon…they're our kids. How could they **not** be cute?"

Bayley snickered and crossed the hallway to their bedroom. She crossed the room to their bathroom with Roman following. He leaned against the door jam, arms folded across his chest. He waited until his wife's mouth was full of toothpaste then spoke up.

"Hunter came to see me today."

Bayley choked and spat toothpaste into the sink. She glared at her husband who tried not to smirk. After rinsing her mouth and spitting again, she gave him another glare. "What did **HE** want?"

"Make peace? Make you out as the bad guy? Play the victim card for his side?" Roman shrugged. "I really wasn't paying a hell of a lot of attention."

"Sure you weren't," Bayley snorted.

"Actually, I wasn't," Roman persisted. "Because I didn't care what he had to say unless it was a sincere apology. I didn't hear one so I didn't care about the rest."

Bayley wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't hold your breath for any apology," she muttered.

"I'm not." Roman kissed the top of her head. "I'm not sure how sincere one would really be."

"Well, my news is a little better." Bayley hugged her husband then walked to the bed. Drawing back the comforter and sheet, she continued. "Shane called. Apparently, Mom, Dad, Stef, and Hunter all got on the phone with him."

"I imagine that just made Shane's day," Roman grunted.

"I think he got some perverse kick out of it," Bayley snickered. "He told me next time he issued an invitation to let him know about it in advance. He almost gave it away."

"Oops."

Bayley shrugged. "He said the invitation was open whenever we had the time to go."

"That's a long flight especially for a couple of little kids," Roman pointed out. "Even if we did spread it out like we talked about."

"And we couldn't take Yorkie on that long a trip," Bayley agreed, sliding into the bed. She sighed. "I don't think either Yorkie or the boys would do very well with that kind of a separation."

Roman sat on the bed and gathered his wife into his arms. "You really want to go, don't you, baby girl?"

Bayley sighed. "Maybe…well…yeah," she mumbled.

Roman gently patted her back.

"I'm not giving in to them," Bayley softly continued. "But…it still hurts, Roman."

"I know it does. And I wish I could make it better." Roman nuzzled the top of her head. "So get in touch with Shane and see if you guys can plan something where we can meet in the middle. Maybe Hawaii?"

Bayley pulled back and stared up at her husband. "Are you serious?"

"Sure. The only problem might be taking Yorkie on the airplane." Roman shrugged. "I've flown enough to see that people take pets with them sometimes. You've just got to plan ahead."

"You'd do that for me? Be around Shane?"

Roman chuckled. "I met Shane twice. And both times he was paying more attention to his new baby than to your new boyfriend. Honey, I don't **KNOW** Shane. And he doesn't know me. We'll either get along or we won't."

"Oh, God, I love you, Roman!" Bayley threw herself into his arms and hugged him as tightly as she could.

Roman chuckled. "Glad to know it," he teased. He lowered his lips to her ear. "Because I love you, Bayley."


End file.
